Themes in Writing
Books and stories not only have plot and a dialog, there is also a bigger meaning. Good writing shows these themes and makes people think about them. Here are some common themes in story writing to give you some ideas for what you want to write.
Adversity |
Emotions |
Humanity |
Other Themes |
Good vs. Evil |
Friendship |
Tradition |
Power |
Chaos vs. Order |
Love (all kinds) |
Character changes |
Communication |
Circle of life |
Racism/Tolerance |
Growing up |
Beauty |
Darkness and Light |
Inner darkness |
Growing old |
Art |
Empowerment |
Faith/Trust/Belief |
Fate and Choice |
Death |
Heroism |
Greed |
Success and Failure |
Illusion/Reality |
Man vs. Man |
Forgiveness |
Men and Women |
Justice |
Man vs. Society |
Optimism/Pessimism |
Family |
Knowledge |
Man vs. Nature |
Pride/Vanity |
Loyalty/Betrayal |
Honor |
Man vs. Machine |
Wisdom |
Identity/Self |
Nationalism |
Sacrifice |
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Spirituality |
Nature |
Work |
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Independence |
Science |
Corruption |
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Materialism |
Wealth |
Progress |
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Social problems |
Meaning |
Temptation |
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Rebirth |
Society |
War |
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Willpower |
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Revenge |
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One way to help you write would be to start with a theme then think of a place or situation where you can use that theme. It can be funny or serious.
Examples:
School + War, School + Nationalism, School + Forgiveness, School + Revenge, School + Good vs. Evil
Holiday + Heroism, Holiday + Greed, Holiday + Death, Holiday + Sacrifice
Space travel + Man vs. Nature, Space travel + Art, Space Travel + Progress, Space travel + Growing old